Itamar Massacre

What sort of human being deliberately butchers a sleeping baby?

Last weekend in Itamar, an Israeli settlement in the Samarian hills, terrorists infiltrated the home of Udi and Ruth Fogel and perpetrated a massacre of the innocents.

The killers started with Yoav, the Fogels' 11-year-old, and Elad, his 4-year-old brother. Yoav's throat was slit -- as he was reading in bed, one report said -- and Elad was stabbed twice in the heart. Then the attackers murdered Ruth, knifing her as she came out of the bathroom. In the next room they killed Ruth's sleeping husband, Udi, and their infant daughter, Hadas. Apparently they didn't notice the last bedroom, where the two other boys, Ro'i, 8, and Yishai, 2, were asleep. It wasn't until half past midnight, when 12-year-old Tamar came home from a Friday night youth group, that the horrific slaughter was discovered. Much of the house was drenched in blood, and the 2-year-old was shaking his parents' bodies, crying for them to wake up.

What explains such unspeakable evil? What sort of human being deliberately butchers a sleeping baby, or plunges a knife into a toddler's heart?

As news of the massacre in Itamar spread, young men in Gaza distributed candy and pastries in celebration. The Al-Qassam Brigades, a branch of Hamas, argued that the murder of Israeli settlers was permitted by international law. A day later it changed its tune, insisted that "harming children is not part of Hamas's policy," and suggested instead that the massacre might have been committed by Jews. The Palestinian "foreign minister," Riyad al-Malki, also voiced doubt that the killers could have been Palestinian. "The slaughter of people like this by Palestinians," he claimed, "is unprecedented." Actually, the precedents abound.

The atrocity in Itamar recalls the 2002 terror attack at Kibbutz Metzer that left five victims dead, including a mother and her two little boys. It brings to mind the murder of Tali Hatuel and her four daughters, who were shot at point-blank range as they drove from Gaza to Ashkelon in 2004. It is reminiscent of the bloodbath in a Jerusalem yeshiva three years ago, in which eight young students were gunned down. Unprecedented? If only.

There are those who believe passionately that all human beings are inherently good and rational creatures, essentially the same once you get beyond surface disagreements. Such people cannot accept the reality of a culture that extols death over life, that inculcates a vitriolic hatred of Jews, that induces children to idolize terrorists. Since they would never murder a family in its sleep without being driven to it by some overpowering horror, they imagine that nobody would. This is the mindset that sees a massacre of Jews and concludes that Jews must in some way have provoked it. It is the mindset behind the narrative that continually blames Israel for the enmity of its neighbors, and makes it Israel's responsibility to end their violence.

But the truth is simpler, and bleaker. Human goodness is not hard-wired. It takes sustained effort and healthy values to produce good people; in the absence of those values, cruelty and intolerance are far more likely to flourish.

Tens of thousands of mourners attended the funeral
of the five members of the Fogel family.

For years the Palestinian Authority has demonized Israelis and Jews as enemies to be destroyed, vermin to be loathed, and infidels to be terrorized with Allah's blessing. Children who grow up under Palestinian rule are inundated on all sides -- in school, in the mosques, on radio and TV, even in summer camps and popular music -- with messages that glorify bloodshed, promote hatred, and lionize "martyrdom."

None of this is news. The toxic incitement that pervades Palestinian culture has been massively documented. What children are taught in the classrooms of Ramallah, Nablus, and Gaza City, Hillary Clinton said in 2007, is "to see martyrdom and armed struggle and the murder of innocent people as ideals to strive for. . . . This propaganda is dangerous." Indeed, it is lethal.

An estimated 20,000 mourners accompanied Udi, Ruth, Yoav, Elad, and Hadas Fogel as they were laid to rest in Jerusalem on Sunday. In his eulogy, Vice Premier Moshe Ya'alon predicted bitterly that in time the Palestinian Authority would honor the Fogel family's murderers and name public squares after them. His comment might have seemed gratuitous -- except that at that very moment, in the West Bank town of Al-Bireh, Dalal Mughrabi was being celebrated at a public square named in her honor. It was Mughrabi who, 33 years earlier, led a PLO terror squad on a savage rampage on Israel's Coastal Road. Thirty-eight innocent Jews were murdered that day, 13 of them children.

Visitor Comments: 30

the people or person who did this sshould suffer the same evil 10x over and that would not be enough. this
is a crime you would expect in a barbarian culture.This is what that person is.

(26)
Mark Jeffery Koch,
March 28, 2011 3:17 PM

The Ghosts of Itamar

If there is any justice in this world then perhaps the souls of those innocent lives lost at Itamar are raining long overdue vengeance on Syria.
It is Syria that has shipped 50,000 missiles from Iran to Hezbollah that are targeted at Israeli cities and it is Syria where the headquarters of Hamas and Islamic Jihad are located and where orders to bomb busses in Jerusalem, send Kassam missiles and Grad rockets into Israeli homes, hospitals, and schools emanate from, and where the orders came to brutally and savagely murder the family of five (including three little children) in Itamar. It is Syria, along with Hezbollah that is sending arms and fighters to Libya to help Ghadaffi.
All people should hope and pray for the overthrow of this dictatorship that oppresses its own people and is the headquarters for terrorist groups that send out orders to murder innocent men, women, and children.
The souls of those lost at Itamar, and those lost on busses, in marketplaces, and cafes in Israel from the suicide bombers sent by terrorists in Syria and their supporter Assad, and the little children who cower in fear in bunkers in Sderot as missiles rain down on them will soon, hopefully very soon, see the regime in Damascus receive the ultimate justice for its crimes.

(25)
Anonymous,
March 20, 2011 12:53 AM

Please

Please do not insult animals. I cannot fathom how anyone who considers themselves a member of the Human family could possibbly think of even harming children, let alone a babe. This is sheer evil, evil beyond comprehension, and it is, in my opinion, an utter attack upon Hashem, upon His dominion, His Creation, and his Beloved firstborn Israel - the Eldest sibling in te Human family.
These evil "alien" entities have nothing to do with life, Human Life, Humans, Hashem, or Hashem's Very Existence. Even specks of dust are not to be cursed, as they Are, and Will forever be.

(24)
Anonymous,
March 19, 2011 8:32 PM

Remember the Oshrenko murders?

Where 6 settlers, including a 3 year old child and a baby aged 3 months were murders? Was that murderer an animal too?

(23)
Anonymous,
March 19, 2011 8:26 PM

Remember the Oshrenko murders?

Who murdered 6 settlers including a 3 yr old and a baby aged 3 months?

(22)
Sube,
March 19, 2011 3:24 AM

Itamar

The ones that killed the Fogel Family were worse than animals. Animals kill to survive, these were demons.
Hilliary Clinton and USA are part to blame. They have protected these demons over Isralies.....

(21)
Anonymous,
March 18, 2011 7:26 PM

We hate those we fear

I am ashamed of human race for going sinking so low. it is a known fact that we hate those we fear. If we had no fear then we would not experience hate or jealousy. I hope and pray that our race evolves and vibrates to a much higher energy such as compassion, love and forgiveness, and revert these dark ages to light. amen.

(20)
David,
March 18, 2011 7:13 PM

What about our history?

"Spare no one, but kill alike men and women, infants and sucklings, oxen and sheep, camels and asses." This verse comes from Samuel 1, Chapter 15, when Samuel told Saul of G-d's command to attack Amalek. Because of Saul's refusal to fulfil G-d's command in its entirety, the kingship was taken from his line and passed to the line of David (Saul was punished for not eliminating everything). Now, I am sure that no matter how evil the adults of Amalek may have been, their infants and the sucklings were not responsible. I would be grateful if someone would explain how the murder of infants and sucklings is OK when G-d ostensibly commands us to do it, but not OK when the same thing is done to us according to some nutcases' interpretation of what their deity demands of them. I note that I am opposed to the killing of infants and sucklings under all circumstances, whether by Jews or against Jews!

Peter Dukesz,
March 20, 2011 2:19 PM

Good question. A few comments:
1) Our tradition clearly states that we are like 1 lamb surrounded by 70 wolves. There are many many nations that want us dead. Yes this treatment of Amalek is unique.
2) One reason is the sheer scale of bruatlity of the Amalekites..they would lurk behind our people..afraid to confront them and then wipe out infants, children and the aged who lagged behind.
3) Nobody knows just who Amalek is today and therefore this command is not operative. Indeed the Chabad approach is to see this command as a symbolic attack on any influence that makes you unenthusiastic about your Yiddishkeit!
In Contrast:
1) The Palestinians do not have a religious commandment to kill babies.
2) This attack is clearly motivated by politics and a current ideology that Jews are less than human; therefore the implication of killing them is identical to killing a rat or a skunk.
3) The attack is not a response to “Jewish brutality” (as if we go out of our way to kill their babies) but rather the outgrowth of a toxic brew of anti-Semitism that are fed to innocent Palestinian children from the moment they are born.
The real comparison here is this recent story of the Jewish paramedic who saved the life of a Palestinian baby in Itamar while what was left of the Fogel family was sitting Shiva:
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4043536,00.html

(19)
Phaiga Miriam Gentilcore,
March 17, 2011 6:39 PM

We must stop calling Jewish towns in Judea and Sumeria "settlements". In the media, Arab/Palestinian settlements are called villages. The imagery which the word village conjures up in the mind is one of pastoral simplicity (which is a lie) and the imagery which the word settlement conjures up is one of coming to live in a place which was not or never yours. This imagery is 'villain-ized' even more with the word "settlers".

(18)
Martha Kremer,
March 17, 2011 4:57 PM

Similar to Slaughter of Coptic families in Egypt

This unspeakable slaughter is similar to slaughter of two Coptic families in Egypt reported in Arutz Sheva on Feb. 11 of this year. God forgive them.

(17)
Shua Cohen,
March 17, 2011 3:00 PM

Fogel Family Emergency Fund

Please contribute to the tzedakah fund established for the surviving Fogel children — it can be found at the National Council of Young Israel’s website:
https://www.youngisrael.org/securecontent/donate.cfm
Where it says “Donation Information” scroll down to “Fogel Family Emergency Fund” (its the last choice on the drop-down menu).
Please do it today!

(16)
Mike lampard,
March 17, 2011 1:34 PM

No one is good!

I do not believe in the inate goodness of anyone. This crime, appalling as it is is only the latest in a long line of atrocities committed in the hiostory of the human race. It is simply because of this that G-d gave Moses the Torah as a way to live by and a training means to change our lives. However, progressively, the world is rtejecting anything to do with Torah, or Biblical Spirtitual truth, and this is the result. The cloud's 'silver lining' if there is one, is that there are still left for us a number of 'good' people who hve been trained in their values to respect human life and feel deeply the tragedy like this that has occurred. I wonder how long they will last?

(15)
Bobby,
March 17, 2011 12:46 PM

Is History not learned it leasons

I feel sicken by this story, A familly sleeping in there home being murdered in such a brutal way,young children had no chance against these men how act worse tha animals. God is not mocked what these evil people have done will not go unpunished, I pray they see those imagesto the either repent or die. Poeple need to wake up and no the real truth of what these people think and not the rubbish put out on western tv

(14)
Bill Josephs,
March 17, 2011 3:19 AM

The ghosts of Shechem strike again

As Rabbi Berel Wein has taught us, no good to us seems to come from this town. This is a time for reflection in the light of our own history; not just another 'uchemvey' from the savages who were raised on Jewish hatred. Although we are horrified and aghast, are any of us really surprised that these people did this to us?

(13)
Karmen Nava,
March 17, 2011 3:04 AM

An out of balanced mentality of depravity.

This is shocking, horrific and traumatic for the children who remain and the Jewish community as a whole. They need our prayers and compassion. As far as who the perpetrators were, no one really knows at present. Whoever they were desires to continue keeping the wild fires burning. It is a vicious assault against humanity and satanic sacrifices to the highest degree. May those who love life embrace and care for the children who remain. These children need hope that there are decent people in this world that know how to love.
I am writing from Mexico and these type of atrocities against the Jewish people are never publicized. The media (reporters) seem to be special picked to prefer the Palestinians. Personally I have compassion for both the Palestinians and the Jewish people because the human soul desires shalom! The media is also bent to make Mexico appear to be the most violent in the world and that isn´t so. The borders are bad, but most of Mexico lived peacefully until five years ago. We got stuck with mercenaries who were trained to terrorize the Mexican nation. The Ten Commandments given to the human race was an act of love. Those who murder are enemies of G-d.

(12)
Anonymous,
March 17, 2011 2:57 AM

answering your question

What sort of " human being" deliberately butchers a sleeping baby?
A Baptist? A Hindu? A Mormon? A Confucian? No, wait.....A MUSLIM!

(11)
Mitzi,
March 17, 2011 2:31 AM

Cowards !

First they justify the killing saying its "allowed ",..by who's approval.The world will not honor these animals and this cannot ever be justified . Such as these is why HaShem prepared a hell ! This is a total act of Cowardace !

bobby,
March 17, 2011 12:50 PM

I agree but it not a surprise when you see what books palastine children read in the name of education, They are truly convince that Jews are their enemy and to hate them and kill them is the will of their God but I thankful My God who Is the jews God is full of mercy and love

(10)
Anonymous,
March 16, 2011 10:18 PM

NO WORDS

NO WORDS , NO WORDS .

(9)
Jules Tabak,
March 16, 2011 9:59 PM

I'm a realist

Why do the good people continue to put up with the garbage people. Hard for me to understand. Are their brains asleep. It's either them or us. My life and a millon other young Americans of that time were saved be a leader who was a realist

(8)
Pamela,
March 16, 2011 6:12 PM

Terror attack

This terrible terror attack, as far as I know, it was not mentioned on any British Television news or Radio news, was not mentioned in British newspapers, if had not been Israeli , t would have been on every news program. I hope they find these murders,hang them and wrap them in Pig Skin.

(7)
Graham R-B,
March 16, 2011 5:27 PM

BE FRUITFUL AND MULTIPLY

The recent most hideous massacre at Itamar, Israel, prompts me to write the following. Sadly the biblical commandment to 'be fruitful and multiply' has come back to bite the Jewish people and other 'Infidels', who like me proudly bear that name as an accolade of distinction. Our birthrate is suicidal while that of our sworn enemies in Islam soars to 4 or 5 times ours. As we drown in the overwhelming power of the Muslim weapon of the WOMB, (Weapon Of Massive Birthrate), we are being cut down, often by suicidal Islamic fanatics who joyously trade their worthless lives in the tradition of 9/11 for the lives of their innocent and valuable victims. Our previous life-style with many families bringing forth 4 or more children into the world has given way to families where two children are considered to be ideal and praiseworthy and those children have very few aunts, uncles and cousins as many of these join the ranks of bachelorhood and mothers of aborted children. We plan for the future of a Western Civilization which has very little chance of surviving because we and our enemies will not change our ways. Please tell me I'm wrong IF YOU HAVE GOOD REASON.

(6)
Anonymous,
March 16, 2011 5:15 PM

. . . and a time for war

W., 3/16/11 common era
Rabbi Meier Kahane, zt"l, had it right over 40 years ago.
It's not too late to start a "transfer" of Arabs from the Liberated Territories and within Israel's current borders to some other place on the planet. No more Oslo "road map to peace." It's rreally a roadmap to more and more Jewish tzuris.

(5)
Andre Renaud,
March 16, 2011 4:33 PM

So sad to have to live like that.:(

I guess we don't appreciate our country Canada enough..Don't need to worry about bombs falling on our heads..Or getting killed in our beds at night..You can't compare these people to animals..That's an insult to the animals..Animals don't do that.:(

(4)
Emily Armstrong,
March 16, 2011 4:32 PM

Horror

Will we ever stop seeing Man's inhumanity to man?"
I will pray for the innocents. God Bless!!

(3)
Anonymous,
March 16, 2011 4:25 PM

"Human being?"

"What sort of human being deliberately butchers a sleeping baby?" The answer is IN the question.... clearly, NO human being acts that way.

jason,
March 17, 2011 12:04 PM

you're mistaken

it's a mistake to say these barbaric murderers are not human... that is too convenient and sidesteps the issue of man's ability to do evil, and the particular hatred and cruelty of some arabs that could compel them to commit such unspeakable acts. Make no mistake -- they are human beings like you and me. That is what makes it all the more shocking.

(2)
Darien Dovid,
March 16, 2011 2:51 PM

This last in a series of horrendous massacres of innocent Jewish babies, children and their parents should result in an all out declaration and initiation of unrestricted warfare against the Arab nation on the "West Bank" and Gaza, until they are driven back into Jordan, where they originally came from. Outcries from the world at large must be ignored, and only thus will Israel earn the respect of decent people around the world.

(1)
Linda,
March 16, 2011 2:50 PM

It doesn't matter what you are

these people have the same agenda for everyone, KILL THEM! If they were unleased to their evil, everyone but them would be dead, Then what?? They would start killing each other as they do in Iraq and other places. They even hate their own children, sending them out with bombs strapped to them. Their god whom they serve has another name. Destroyer, satan. They have no idea who they are bowing to. He is not a god of love but of pure hatred against any people. If they would but use half of that energy to bless the world with any talents and gifts they have, they would be better people. Like one email I got listed their contribution to the world was about nil. The countries who honored the true G-D has blessed the world with many things. Their hatred blinds them to every genuine feeling of goodness or benevolence that the rest of the world has been in tune with for centuries. They are a wicked people that G-D himself will deal with. And would I feel uneasy if one of them were on a plane with me? You bet ya. I don't trust them at all.

I live in rural Montana where the Cholov Yisrael milk is difficult to obtain and very expensive. So I drink regular milk. What is your view on this?

The Aish Rabbi Replies:

Jewish law requires that there be rabbinic supervision during the milking process to ensure that the milk comes from a kosher animal. In the United States, many people rely on the Department of Agriculture's regulations and controls as sufficiently stringent to fulfill the rabbinic requirement for supervision.

Most of the major Kashrut organizations in the United States rely on this as well. You will therefore find many kosher products in America certified with a 'D' next to the kosher symbol. Such products – unless otherwise specified on the label – are not Cholov Yisrael and are assumed kosher based on the DOA's guarantee.

There are many, however, do not rely on this, and will eat only dairy products that are designated as Cholov Yisrael (literally, "Jewish milk"). This is particularly true in large Jewish communities, where Cholov Yisrael is widely available.

Rabbi Moshe Feinstein wrote that under limited conditions, such as an institution which consumes a lot of milk and Cholov Yisrael is generally unavailable or especially expensive, American milk is acceptable, as the government supervision is adequate to prevent non-kosher ingredients from being added.

It should be added that the above only applies to milk itself, which is marketed as pure cow's milk. All other dairy products, such as cheeses and butter, may contain non-kosher ingredients and always require kosher certification. In addition, Rabbi Feinstein's ruling applies only in the United States, where government regulations are considered reliable. In other parts of the world, including Europe, Cholov Yisrael is a requirement.

There are additional esoteric reasons for being stringent regarding Cholov Yisrael, and because of this it is generally advisable to consume only Cholov Yisroel dairy foods.

In 1889, 800 Jews arrived in Buenos Aires, marking the birth of the modern Jewish community in Argentina. These immigrants were fleeing poverty and pogroms in Russia, and moved to Argentina because of its open door policy of immigration. By 1920, more than 150,000 Jews were living in Argentina. Juan Peron's rise to power in 1946 was an ominous sign, as he was a Nazi sympathizer with fascist leanings. Peron halted Jewish immigration to Argentina, introduced mandatory Catholic religious instruction in public schools, and allowed Argentina to become a haven for fleeing Nazis. (In 1960, Israeli agents abducted Adolf Eichmann from a Buenos Aires suburb.) Today, Argentina has the largest Jewish community in Latin America with 250,000, though terror attacks have prompted many young people to emigrate. In 1992, the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires was bombed, killing 32 people. In 1994, the Jewish community headquarters in Buenos Aires was bombed, killing 85 people. The perpetrators have never been apprehended.

Be aware of what situations and behaviors give you pleasure. When you feel excessively sad and cannot change your attitude, make a conscious effort to take some action that might alleviate your sadness.

If you anticipate feeling sad, prepare a list of things that might make you feel better. It could be talking to a specific enthusiastic individual, running, taking a walk in a quiet area, looking at pictures of family, listening to music, or reading inspiring words.

While our attitude is a major factor in sadness, lack of positive external situations and events play an important role in how we feel.

[If a criminal has been executed by hanging] his body may not remain suspended overnight ... because it is an insult to God (Deuteronomy 21:23).

Rashi explains that since man was created in the image of God, anything that disparages man is disparaging God as well.

Chilul Hashem, bringing disgrace to the Divine Name, is one of the greatest sins in the Torah. The opposite of chilul Hashem is kiddush Hashem, sanctifying the Divine Name. While this topic has several dimensions to it, there is a living kiddush Hashem which occurs when a Jew behaves in a manner that merits the respect and admiration of other people, who thereby respect the Torah of Israel.

What is chilul Hashem? One Talmudic author stated, "It is when I buy meat from the butcher and delay paying him" (Yoma 86a). To cause someone to say that a Torah scholar is anything less than scrupulous in meeting his obligations is to cause people to lose respect for the Torah.

Suppose someone offers us a business deal of questionable legality. Is the personal gain worth the possible dishonor that we bring not only upon ourselves, but on our nation? If our personal reputation is ours to handle in whatever way we please, shouldn't we handle the reputation of our nation and the God we represent with maximum care?

Jews have given so much, even their lives, for kiddush Hashem. Can we not forego a few dollars to avoid chilul Hashem?

Today I shall...

be scrupulous in all my transactions and relationships to avoid the possibility of bringing dishonor to my God and people.

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